Amelia's Stupid Face
by Ink Of Many Shades
Summary: Because a love like theirs was blooming long before they travelled through time and space. Even before the Raggedy Man fell from the sky and enchanted Amelia Pond. It began on a little playground in Leadworth, England.


**Written for the 30-Day Drabble Challenge. Topic- Beginning.**

* * *

Amy and Rory Williams. Well, Amy and Rory Pond, would be another way of saying it. The difference was that one was how the rest of the world knew them, the ordinary, happily married, nurse-and-model Williams family. The other was given to mad, impossible Amy Pond, from her Raggedy Doctor, who forever held a special place in his hearts, and the working class hero, Roman Rory, the Last Centurion, the _Lost_ Centurion, whom, even though he never thought so, would also be remembered well by the Doctor.

The Ponds were unlike any of the other companions, in that they were never blown away by the Doctor, and he never became larger than life to them. They lived a long, fruitful life after him because they always had each other, up until the fateful touch of the Angel in the graveyard, and afterwards too. Because the Doctor's other companions had been constantly lonely inside, looking for someone whom they had found in him. The Ponds, though, were well and truly in love. They needed him, too, but when the time came, they gave him up for each other.

A love like theirs was blooming long before they travelled, before even the Raggedy Man fell from the sky in his blue box and enchanted Amelia Pond. It began in a small playground in Leadworth, England.

* * *

"Hey, you!"

Five year-old Rory Williams looked up from the castle he was building. He saw a girl about his age, sitting on a swing, unattended. The first thing he noticed about her was her hair. It was flaming red, but it was more, it was brighter than the greatest fire. The second thing he noticed was the imperious expression on her face. "Hey," he said awkwardly. "Do I know you?"

She ignored his question. "Come push my swing," she said expectantly, as if he was just going to listen to her.

Rory Williams was a shy child, and his first few years had not yielded him a friend. He was used to listening to his mum when she told him to do something. So he obediently abandoned his budding sandcastle, stood up and walked behind the mysterious girl who could command him at first sight. He tried to push the swing, but she got annoyed and said, "*Faster, stupid face!" turning to him.

For the first time, he saw her face close-up. She had a nice nose. He liked her nose.

But she had called him "stupid face". Rory knew that it was an insult, and he got mad. "Why should I?" he sulked. "You called me stupid. You're mean."

She rolled her eyes- they were green, he noticed fascinatedly, he had never seen green eyes before- and then appeared to take pity on him. "Okay," she relented. "If you push me, I'll push you, too. Is that okay, stupid face?"

He almost protested, but then he thought better of it. "Okay," he said amiably. He started to push the swing, as hard as his little arms allowed. The girl rocked back and forth on the swing, whooping as she did so. Eventually, she jumped off the swing, and fell in a tumble against the sandy ground. Rory rushed to help her. "Are you okay?" he asked anxiously.

She examined her knee. It was a little skinned, but she just stood up and scoffed. "Ha! Of course I am, stupid face. I didn't even fall. I jumped. That was on purpose."

Rory snorted. "Okay." He walked back to his sandcastle and sat down, preparing to make it bigger.

"Where're you going?" she called to him. "Come back here, stupid face."

He looked up. "But I already pushed you."

"I know," she said, smiling prettily. "Now I have to push you."

Rory didn't know what to say. "But I don't want to sit on the swing."

The girl shook her head. "Too late. We already made a deal, didn't we? You gotta keep your promises." She looked at him solemnly. "Now get up and come here."

* * *

The boy stood up and sat on the swing. Amelia pushed him, but not hard. He seemed to enjoy it anyway. "My name's Amelia," she said. "Amelia Pond. What's yours?"

"Rory Arthur Williams," he said, pushing out each name proudly.

She wrinkled her nose. "I like stupid face better."

He turned around in the swing. "But I'm not stupid," he protested.

Amelia rolled her eyes. "No, but your _face_ is, stupid. That's why you're a_ stupid face._" Seeing the hurt on his face, she sighed. "Okay, I'll call you Rory," she said, and he started to smile. He had a nice smile, did Rory. A nice smile and those brown eyes, which were so honest. She couldn't imagine those brown eyes ever leaving anyone. He wouldn't leave her, she decided. Rory wouldn't leave her. _Everyone else can leave, for all I care,_ she thought petulantly. _All_ I _need is Mels. And _maybe_ stupid face can be there, too._

"You have a nice name," said Rory hesitantly. "Amelia Pond. It sounds like a princess's name."

Immediately she stuck out her tongue at him. "I'm not a princess!" she said. "I'm a queen, stup- Rory."

"Okay." He smiled shyly. His smile made her feel warm and fuzzy inside. She smiled back, and he flushed red. He got up, said, "Thanks for the push," and sat down at his sandcastle.

Before she knew what she was doing, she was sitting down next to him and grabbing a bucket from him. "What're you _doing?_" he cried out, moving to take back his bucket.

Amelia shook her finger in his face. "You can't just _leave_, you know," she said, surprised by the petulance in her own voice. "People _always_ do that. You gotta stay. You're my _friend_, you can't just _leave_ me, Rory. It's not _fair,_" and again she was surprised at how emotional she was getting.

Rory seemed shocked beyond words. "Umm, okay," he said awkwardly. Then everything she said sank in, and he grinned. "Wait, I'm your friend?" He said it as if it were the most surprising thing in the world.

She stamped her foot. "Yes, stupid face, you are. You pushed my swing. That makes us friends," she said with finality.

Rory's smile grew wider. "I've never had a friend before," he said shyly.

"Well, I'll have to teach you what friends do." Amelia started packing mud into her bucket. "First we both build lots and lots of sandcastles. Then we have a sandcastle war, and we both jump on each other's castles and destroy them. But," she added, "You can't step on any of my castles. Only I can destroy yours. That's the rules. Okay?"

He protested. "But that's not-"

"Hush," she ordered. He obediently fell silent. "Just do it, Rory."

And thus, they began.


End file.
